Mario Cristobal on facing Florida State: 'We always knew this as the best rivalry in football'

The Miami Hurricanes are set to renew their rivalry with the Florida State Seminoles this Saturday. It’s a game that Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal knows well, and today thinks of as the best in all of college football.

Ahead of their meeting, Cristobal addressed the rivalry and its history, explaining how important it is for everyone involved. At the same time, he doesn’t want his team focused on the rivalry. He wants their attention on their own preparation.

“We always knew this as the best rivalry in football coming up,” Mario Cristobal said. “As a player, that’s always a reason why players chose to go to one of the two respective schools. I mean, college football is the best sport in the world, so the fact that people bring up historical moments and whatnot, it’s not surprising. I do think our players, alumni bases, fans, they all understand how intense this rivalry is, but I think our players, more importantly, understand the importance of practice and preparation, and that’s what our focus is on right now.”

The rivalry with Florida State is certainly a personal one for Cristobal. A Miami native, he played for the Hurricanes and in this game on multiple occasions. That includes in 1991 and 1992, which are remembered today as Wide Right I and Wide Right II, with both games ending on missed Seminoles field goals.

The Miami-Florida State rivalry dates back to 1951, and since 1970, it’s been an annual matchup. During that time, both teams have won multiple national championships and had stretches where they were among the two best teams in the country when they met, both drawing players from the same talent pool within the state. All time, Miami leads the series 36-33. That includes a 36-14 win last season.

Florida State is coming into the game having suffered its first loss of the season on Friday night in double overtime against Virginia. Miami, meanwhile, is coming off a bye week. Their last game was a win against another in-state rival, Florida. This will also be the first time both teams enter this game ranked since 2016.

Another legendary figure from this rivalry’s past, Lee Corso, is set to be in attendance for this year’s game. The now-retired coaching and TV legend actually played for Florida State during his own playing days. That was back from 1953 to 1957, and during that time, the Seminoles were never able to beat the Hurricanes. He’ll be there as part of a reunion of former Seminoles who played under football coach Tom Nugent from 1953 to 1958.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 4th. Florida State is scheduled to host the game at Doak Campbell Stadium.